It’s Houseplant Week! I absolutely love having plants in my home, but I know the thought of keeping houseplants alive can be intimidating. Trust me: I once killed a cactus. And many succulents. And a couple ferns. No judgement here. Over the years I’ve learned a few things, and now I’ve got dozens of happy plants throughout the house. If you like the idea of having some greenery in your home but aren’t sure where to start, this series is for you! Today I’m talking about spider plants.

Spider plants are AWESOME. And I say this as a person who is in no uncertain terms anti-arachnid. See, other than looking vaguely-spideresque–with all the dangly leaves like spider legs–they have nothing to do with spiders whatsoever. And thank goodness. Spiders are the worst. Spider plants, on the other hand? Two thumbs way up.

About Spider Plants:

They look like giant spiders. Sort of. Long thin leaves grow out from the middle of the plant…like spider legs, only a whole lot more than eight. They are green with white along the edges and sometimes have paler green or white stripes down the middle of each.

Wikipdia just taught me that they are “flowering perennial herbs.” 1) I have no idea what makes an herb an herb, but I thought that was an interesting way to classify them, and 2) I’m sure mine have flowered but I’ve always missed it! 🙁

The flowers are small and white and a handful will grow on a single long stem. My mother-in-law’s spider plant recently flowered and it was such a lovely surprise to see when I stopped by!

After flowering, the long stems will grow baby spider plantlets, which are adorable and I’ll tell you about in a bit.

Like pothos and snake plants, spider plants are great at filtering formaldehyde out of the air.

Spider plants are non-toxic to pets (yay!) but there’s a catch. Apparently they contain chemicals similar to opium that are mildly hallucinogenic to cats. So…maybe keep it out of reach if you don’t want your kitty turning into a spider plant druggie. Just saying.

When buying:

As with other plants, always look for new growth. New leaves = healthy plant, no matter what the old leaves might look like.

The exception to the above is when you see spotted leaves. Spots usually = disease = no bueno. Look for even green/white coloring throughout.

If you can, find a plant with baby plantlets. That way you know it’s healthy and growing, plus you are actually getting several plants for the price of one!

Mine is a baby from my sister-in-law’s plant, but I see them all the time in garden centers, nurseries, and even occasionally at grocery stores.

Proper care:

Light: Bright to medium indirect sunlight is ideal. I keep mine in the kitchen, which gets the best natural light in the whole house. Spider plants are fairly bright green, except when they’re struggling. If the color of the leaves starts to fade, your plant probably might not be getting enough light. Like so:

Water: Like pothos, spider plants will let you know when they need a drink by getting droopy.

Again, I let mine go extra long between waterings so you could really see the difference. Here’s the before:

They grow pretty quickly and will fill whatever container you put them in. If you want a bigger plant, just put it in a bigger pot and take good care of it. Eventually it’ll be enormous. Promise.

Taking cuttings/re-potting:

This is where I’m really sad that my plant doesn’t have any spider babies for me to show you. If you do a quick Google image search for “spider plant babies” you can see what they look like. Otherwise, just pretend my plant has a long stem coming out of the middle with a miniature spider plant on the end. To grow a new mature plant, you can snip that baby off, stick the center bit (where it was attached to the larger plant) in a cup of clean water, and let it grow roots. You can then plant it in a new pot. Free plant! Pro tip: baby spider plants make great housewarming gifts!

When re-potting, be gentle. The leaves bend and bruise easily. Work your fingers gently through any root ball to break it up a little, then set it in your new pot and cover with potting soil. Water it well and watch it grow.

Yes, they’re slightly more temperamental and delicate than snake plants, but spider plants are great at communicating their needs. Once you know what you’re looking for, it’s so much easier to take care of them! They’re graceful and lush and a great addition to your growing houseplant collection.

Who else has a spider plant? Don’t you think the little baby plantlets are just the cutest? And what’s the verdict on Houseplant Week? Has this been helpful/interesting? Comment and question away!

It’s Houseplant Week! I absolutely love having plants in my home, but I know the thought of keeping houseplants alive can be intimidating. Trust me: I once killed a cactus. And many succulents. And a couple ferns. No judgment here. Over the years, though, I’ve learned a few things, and now I’ve got dozens of happy plants throughout the house. If you like the idea of having some greenery in your home but aren’t sure where to start, this series is for you! Today we’re talking about snake plants.

Word on the street is snake plants are the easiest houseplants to keep alive. You already know I disagree; that title goes to the hardy pothos. Here’s why: I’ve killed snake plants much faster than I’ve killed pothos. BUT I figured out my mistakes and now? Now I’ve got this giant beauty who has been sitting atop a bookcase in my family room for a year or so. I love how sculptural snake plants are, and once you find the right home for them they require practically zero maintenance. Which is exactly how I like my houseplants.

About Snake Plants:

You may have heard them called “mother-in-law’s tongue” but that just seems mean. I much prefer to call them snake plants.

They have long, rigid leaves in slightly stripey variegated green and yellow. You know…like snakes.

Supposedly it’s one of the best houseplants around for filtering formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides out of the air.

New snake plants grow from rhizomes. Basically the old plant sends out little runners and a new plant starts to grow from them.

Snake plants are mildly toxic to pet, and probably people too. Let’s not eat one and find out, mmkay?

When buying:

Look for stiff, shiny, green and yellow leaves. Brown along the edges and brittle texture means the plant is drying out (you can see dead, dry leaves in the image above); green floppy leaves that can be pulled out of the soil easily have been over-watered.

Since they don’t grow very quickly, buy one that is the size you want. A smaller plant may cost lest, but unlike other houseplants, you can’t depend on it growing to fill the space you want to put it in. In my opinion, with snake plants, bigger is better.

My big one is from the garden center of a hardware store, but I see them at grocery stores occasionally, and most nurseries carry them as well.

Proper care:

Light: I’ve heard that snake plants can handle dim light. LIES. This is what killed my first snake plant; I put it in my dark bedroom and it eventually shriveled up. I recommend medium indirect sunlight for happy snake plants.

Water: If you think it’s been too long since you last watered it, wait another few days and then give it a drink. Not too much, though. Snake plants rot really easily. Err on the side of not enough water, and if you notice some crispy leaves, give it a cup or two. I usually dump whatever water is left in my girls’ sippy cups into my snake plant once every couple weeks.

Soil: Because they rot easily, soil that drains well is ideal. Nothing too soft and soggy. Basic potting soil is fine, but I’ve actually had better success just leaving my snake plants in the soil they came in and setting them inside a new pot with very little intervention.

Taking cuttings/re-potting:

Like I said above, I tend not to re-pot my snake plants. If you do re-pot one, though, you don’t need to break up the roots at all. Just lift it out, place it in a new pot, add some dirt, and call it good.

If you notice your snake plant has sent out a rhizome and started a new growth, that’s awesome! You’re doing great! If you want, you can cut the rhizome (it’s that thick stalk beneath the soil connecting the baby leaf to a big one) and separate the new growth from the old plant to put in a new pot. HOWEVER…I would just leave it there. Snake plants just grow so slowly, you’re not likely to get a big new lush plant from one tiny cutting. If you want a new one, go buy a full grown one.

Isn’t it pretty? High impact, minimal effort…as long as you don’t hide it in the dark or drown it. But you can do that, right?

Have you ever had a snake plant? What do you think: are they easier to care for than other houseplants or just as easy to kill?

It’s Houseplant Week! I absolutely love having plants in my home, but I know the thought of keeping houseplants alive can be intimidating. Trust me: I once killed a cactus. And many succulents. And a couple ferns. No judging here. Over the years, though, I’ve learned a few things, and now I’ve got dozens of happy plants throughout the house. If you like the idea of having some greenery in your home but aren’t sure where to start, this series is for you! Today we’re talking about pothos.

Ah, the ubiquitous pothos. It is, in my experience, BY FAR the easiest of all the houseplants to keep alive. My mother-in-law gave me a cutting she took from one of her own plants like seven years ago and it just died last month. I had to work hard to kill it too. No water and very little light for months. I never fertilized it or re-potted it or added new soil. It just refused to kick the bucket…although to be fair, it was looking pretty haggard toward the end.

My point is, if you’re going to do the houseplant thing, I highly recommend starting with a pothos. They don’t mind being ignored and they look great. Right now I have three–one in my bedroom, one in the family room, and one in the living room–and I’m thinking about making a cutting so I can put one in the baby’s room too. Easiest houseplants ever!

About Pothos:

It’s scientific name is Epipremnum aurem, though it’s known by a variety of common names (like “devil’s ivy” or “golden pothos”) and is often mislabeled as a philodendron.

It’s got shiny, sort of heart-shaped leaves that can be all green or a mottled combination of green and yellow or white, which grow on trailing stems.

Easy to care for, pothos grows quickly and is excellent at filtering toxic things like formaldehyde out of the air. Can you see why I’m a big fan?

It is definitely toxic to cats and dogs if eaten, so put it out of reach of any pets that might try to take a bite. (Not an issue at our house, but you just never know.)

When buying:

Always look for plants with new growth. Nurseries and other plant sellers trim off dead or dying pieces, so most plants you find will look healthy, even if they’re on the last legs. If you see lighter green curled-up baby leaves or tiny ones about to unfurl from the stem, you know your plant is alive and growing.

Look for any leaves that look like they’ve been eaten and check the soil under the leaves. There may be bugs living in your pothos, which you definitely don’t want to bring home with you. (It’s rare that I’ve found buggy pothos, but you can never be too careful.)

I’ve had great luck buying pothos from the garden section of hardware stores, but you can find them at most grocery stores as well. They’re inexpensive too; I’ve never spent more than $5 on a new plant.

Water: Allow leaves to wilt before each watering. When your pothos looks droopy, water it. It will perk up within 24 hours and look good as new. This will keep you from overwatering it, which in my experience will kill it quicker than underwatering will.

The photo below is one of my pothos plants that I let go a little too long between waterings so I could show you what I mean:

See? Droopy and sad. I gave it couple cups of water and this is what it looked like the next morning:

So much happier! Now I can ignore it till it starts looking wilted again.

Soil: Any basic potting soil is fine. I often keep mine in the soil they came in and they do well.

Pothos vines can get looooooong. You can either give them something to climb or hang from and let them go crazy, or cut them when they get out of control. Using sharp scissors, trim vines at an angle just past a healthy leaf.

Remove any yellowed or dead leaves. They usually fall off easily but you may need to snip them with scissors.

Wipe leaves occasionally with a damp washcloth or paper towel to remove dust. This is something I am terrible at remembering to do (you can totally tell this plant is dusty) but my plants are always happier and prettier after they’ve been cleaned up.

Taking cuttings/re-potting:

If you do trim your pothos back, you can grow a new one with the cuttings! Set the cut end in a cup of fresh water so it can grow new roots. Keep the water fresh (it may start turning green or simply evaporate) and give it a week or two, and you’ll have a brand new free baby houseplant!

When transferring pothos to a new pot, be sure to break up the root ball a bit. Gently work your fingers through the roots to spread them apart from each other, place in a new pot, and fill with potting soil. Easy peasy.

Guys, I seriously love these plants. They are virtually indestructible and look so pretty. Go get one right now. Better yet, I’ll make you a cutting and you can try growing your own little baby!